Moncks Cave is a

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

located in

Redcliffs Redcliffs is an outer coastal suburb of Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand. History The area of Redcliffs was first populated by humans about 700 years ago. In the 14th century, large groups of Māori, initially the Waitaha people and th ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

. It is notable for the amount of wooden artefacts discovered there in 1889 by workmen while quarrying for

road metal A road surface (British English), or pavement (American English), is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past, gravel road surfaces, hoggin, cob ...

History

The cave was discovered in 1889 by workmen who were quarrying for road metal, as had been done for several years prior. The workmen cleared and dug through the base of the hill, which led to the discovery of the entrance to the cave. Large amounts of cockle shells were discovered when the cave was opened. The cave was most likely closed by a landslide that occurred before European settlement. The cave showed evidence of previous fires by the amount of charcoal found on the roof.

Artefacts

One artefact found in the cave is a wooden ''ama'', which is also known as an

outrigger canoe Outrigger boats are various watercraft featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull. They can range from small dugout canoes to large plank-built vessels. Outrigger ...

. It was found in 1889, in the same year as the cave's discovery. Other artefacts discovered include a carved

paddle A paddle is a handheld tool with an elongated handle and a flat, widened distal end (i.e. the ''blade''), used as a lever to apply force onto the bladed end. It most commonly describes a completely handheld tool used to propel a human-powered w ...

, a canoe

bailer Bailing is the process of removing water from a vessel. Hand bailers A hand bailer is a device used for manually removing water which has entered a vessel. In the simplest case, it is merely a smaller container which can be filled and then empt ...

, a wooden carving of a dog, fragments of a

fishing net A fishing net is a Net (device), net used for fishing. Nets are devices made from fibers woven in a grid-like structure. Some fishing nets are also called fish traps, for example #Fyke nets, fyke nets. Fishing nets are usually meshes formed by ...

, a number of greenstone axe, an amount of black hair and bones of fish and

moa Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. The term has also come to be used for chicken in many Polynesian cultures and is found in the names of many chicken recipes, such as Kale moa and Moa Samoa. Moa or MOA may also refe ...

, which were found in another cave inside the main one. These artefacts have helped researchers learn about

Māori culture Māori culture () is the customs, cultural practices, and beliefs of the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand. It originated from, and is still part of, Eastern Polynesian culture. Māori culture forms a distinctive part of New Zealand cu ...

. Due to the many artefacts found in the cave, it is considered to be one of the greatest archeological finds in New Zealand.

References

{{Prehistoric caves Caves of New Zealand Geography of Christchurch Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in Canterbury, New Zealand